Hi All,
I’m looking to fly to Jersey and back with my new-ish IR and I would prefer to be in airways. The other factor is that I am hoping to fly fairly flow (FL70-80 as I’ll have a toddler on board and don’t want to go higher). I’ve been using FF and Autorouter. Unsurprisingly, the routes seem to be mostly OCAS. Any tips how to force a routing perhaps along the south coast of the UK first to then route south perhaps via the Southampton area?
Failing that I suppose I could fly as FF suggested: DET LYD M189 NEVIL DIKRO BEVAV BEVAV1J outbound and LUSIT1B LUSIT MARKU NEVIL OSPOL GODLU inbound but does that risk freecalls on the way out once OCAS and on the way back not getting into controlled airspace closer to UK mainland?
Cheers
SRD suggests “DET M604 LYD M189 NEVIL G27 ANGLO G273 BEVAV”
Autorouter does struggle a bit in the U.K. Even if you tell it to prefer standard routes it seems not to most of the time (probably because they end up being horribly inefficient).
I now tend to go to the SRD first so I know what I should be getting out of AR.
This is not possible because whatever you file, ATC will not give it to you due to EGKK/EGLL traffic.
To get out of EGKB, you have various ways but all in Class G for some extended distance, unless you depart to the east and then London City (which does radar control for EGKB) will get you into CAS going towards DET. This results in a huge detour, obviously.
The way I would do it is fly in G to GWC and from there you can get entry into CAS, with London Control or more probably Solent Radar (LC own the airspace at EGHI above FL070) and go from there, via ORTAC etc; the usual route for C.I. traffic.
There are LTMA crossing routes at FL090/FL100, IIRC.
Morning, thanks. The base of controlled airspace along much of the route kindly suggested by arj1 is FL75 so I guess it’s fine to fly to Jersey but on the way home at FL70 will be outside pretty much until mainland UK.
AR has this morning given me an interesting route for the return which is N0171F070 ORTAC2B ORTAC Q41 NEDUL DCT EXARO DCT DET DCT GODLU KONAN1C which actually seems to take me along the route I was thinking of for the return. Edit – although I will no doubt be vectored a different route as that takes me right above Gatwick east to west at FL70 but still looks a way to get the whole route in controlled airspace.
Thanks for the tip on SRD too.
Edit also Peter thanks for that suggestion too.
I’d strongly suggest flying well about FL80 both ways – from EGKB quite often the TL is FL75-FL80 anyway, so you have to be FL80+ and on your way back the higher you go the higher is the chance of not getting the usual “radar services terminated, contact London Info on 124.6”. Many suggest going at least FL100 when flying in the UK.
Agree with arj1, I would file
EGKB DCT DET M604 LYD M189 NEVIL G27 ANGLO G273 BEVAV EGJJ at FL90
or
EGKB DCT DET DCT LYD M189 NEVIL G27 ANGLO G273 BEVAV EGJJ at FL80
(a) London TC needs you to be at FL80 or higher given the EGKK inbounds via TIMBA.
(b) The base of controlled airspace between HASTY and NEVIL is FL75.
and for the return
EGJJ BENIX G27 NEVIL NEVIL1C EGKB at FL 80 or higher
for the same reasons (base of controlled airspace after NEVIL is FL75).
In reality the way ATC routes you tactically is barely related to the filed route. Also IFPS does not validate UK airspace G so you can just file anything there (even right across EGKK although you will get busted for that 
) and then ask London Info to ask London Control (there is also a way to phone LC directly) for CAS entry.
This is a very old and contentious topic, with lots of people moaning about getting “dumped at DET” coming from the east. It is the reality of the large airports in the south.
This has worked for me in the past from Redhill. EGKR SAM is actually a standard route but clearly you never get that for real. So I just file this, fly OCAS towards SAM and get clearance into CAS somewhere before SAM.
EGKR N0132F080 SAM Q41 ORTAC ORTAC1J EGJJ
